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How to design a meeting room

How to design a meeting room

No matter how small your company, a meeting room is a valuable addition. You’ll have a space to hold private conversations and brainstorm ideas, and it creates a better impression when you welcome visitors. Check out our tips for designing the perfect meeting room below.

Interior design

The way you decorate a meeting room can have a huge impact on productivity. Colour is one of the most important choices: greys, blacks, blues and whites can make employees feel demotivated and uninspired. A bright colour like red, yellow or green is likely your best option.

Purely for practicality, go for heavy-duty carpet or hardwood flooring.

Furniture

Carefully consider who will use the meeting room to determine how many tables and chairs you need. Of course, you also need to think about the space available – cramming everyone in will breed discomfort and put people off using the space.

Standard tables and comfortable stacking chairs are best for a professional look, but creative types might prefer a more flexible work environment facilitated with wheeled, fold-away furniture.

Try to avoid long tables that make it difficult for everyone to communicate and choose a layout that promotes participation.

Presentation equipment

Staff will often share presentations in meetings, so make sure the room supports this. For example, a large monitor will mean participants don’t have to squint at a laptop or tablet screen, or refer to printed handouts.

You should also supply a whiteboard so ideas and reminders can easily be written down. This is particularly helpful when conducting brainstorming sessions, although flipcharts are preferable if you need to keep the notes for future reference.

Privacy

Privacy can be extremely important in a meeting room. Make sure internal and external windows have blinds, and soundproof the room as much as possible. It’s worth having an ‘engaged’ sign to prevent people interrupting.

Meetings with remote workers and clients

Not everyone can visit your office especially for a meeting. If your company has remote workers and clients, you’ll at least need a telephone with a decent speakerphone system.

You might also consider investing in video conferencing, so you can see and speak to remote meeting participants. Plus, if you choose a VoIP system, you can reduce the cost of contacting international parties.